‘Extremely Wrong’: China lashes out at Germany over minister’s meeting with Joshua Wong

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas speak at an event held by the German newspaper Bild on Monday. Photo via Facebook.

Staying true to form, China yesterday lashed out at Germany over a meeting between Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and Germany’s foreign minister on the sidelines of an event in Berlin this week, calling it “disrespectful.”

Posting a photo of himself and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on his Twitter account, 22-year-old Wong they spoke on the “protest situation and our cause to free election and democracy in HK.”

Beijing — as is its wont when it comes to this kind of thing — reacted angrily to the seemingly anodyne photo op, held during an event organized by the German tabloid Bild, saying “it is extremely wrong for German media and politicians to attempt to tap into the anti-China separatist wave.”

“It is disrespectful of China’s sovereignty and an interference in China’s internal affairs,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

“I want to stress once again that Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs. No foreign government, organization or individual has the right to intervene,” Hua said, adding that Beijing “strongly disapproves” of the meeting.